Fight or Flight
by Baby Kat Snophlake
Summary: When Raine's Rheaird crashes in Tethe'alla, she has to figure out how to find her brother and his friends. But she finds out that she's not where she thought she was. She finds herself in a life or death race to return home, but looking back, should she leave a man that made her heart flutter like nothing else?
1. Chapter 1

_**The Meaning of War**_

_When I woke up in a cell, Jade and Tear started talking about rescuing Ion and escaping from the Tartarus. That means we'd have to fight people again, but they don't even blink at that... And they even started saying I was a burden, so I decided to fight too. I mean, it's not like I want to swing a sword at other people, but I can't stand them making fun of me like that._

_Jade broke out of the cell and activated an emergency shutdown system he'd put in the Tartarus._

_We waited in ambush for the Oracle Knights to show up again, and eventually a woman named Legretta came back with Ion. Apparently Legretta used to be Tear's instructor._

_Come to think of it, Tear was with the Oracle Knights too, wasn't she? How come they're all fighting each other? I remember her saying something about factions..._

_Anyway, just when it looked like we were going to be able to get away, another Oracle Knight named Arietta appeared, and we almost got captured instead. But then Guy came from out of nowhere and saved us. He said he'd come looking for me after I disappeared from the manor. That's Guy for you!_

_Ion said that when Anise came to rescue him, she got into a fight with an Oracle soldier and got thrown out of the Tartarus. He didn't know whether she survived, but if she's still alive she should be heading for a town called St. Binah._

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Once again, Raine had to run away. It was the same story all her life.

The scenery had changed from being inside a village to being inside a Renegade base, green metal panels for walls and pillars with exposed electric cables replacing the wooden huts and trees. Half-elves chased them with sharp blades instead of humans chasing them with broomsticks and rakes.

She checked behind her. This time, she had more than just her twelve-year-old little brother Genis with her. Behind him, his best friends Lloyd and Colette ran, with his guiding her with the tug of his hand. They also had Sheena, a woman from another world called Tethe'alla, who had been sent to Sylvarant to kill Colette. Just as Raine hoped, no one else followed them. They lost the Renegades, for now.

"What are we going to do?" Genis asked. "We can't just run into the desert without a plan." He had a point.

They stopped in a room at the Renegade Base where the red emergency lights flashed, warning about intruders, but no Renegades had found them, yet. A generator in the middle suggested this room was a type of engine room.

"Yeah," Lloyd said, "anywhere we go now, the Renegades or… or Kratos will come looking for us." His voice trailed off, and Raine understood why. Kratos had traveled with them on the Journey of Regeneration and betrayed them. But she wasn't going to worry about that right now. They needed a place to go, and anywhere they could get information would be best.

"Sheena, where did you get your exsphere?" Raine asked.

"Huh? Well that came out of nowhere." Sheena absent-mindedly covered her left hand where her exsphere was hidden by her fingerless gloves. "I got this from the Renegades. They put it on me before I came to Sylvarant."

"Is it common for people to have?"

"No, though Tethe'alla has been getting some for use on machines. Only the Desians have them, really."

"Yuan said that Cruxis Crystals are just evolved exspheres. Is there anywhere that people are studying them?"

"Yeah, the Imperial Research Academy is doing some research. Why do you ask?"

Raine smiled. "Then let's go to Tethe'alla. Perhaps they would have more information about Colette's condition and how to reverse it." Raine glanced at Colette who stood next to Lloyd with an empty expression on her face. She was basically a 16-year-old doll with a suppressed soul. He still held her hand, though.

"You mean that's possible?" Lloyd asked.

"If nothing else, we can get more information about Cruxis Crystals," Raine said.

"I agree." Sheena said. "We can get to Tethe'alla using the Rheairds. They should be in the hangar. I'll lead the way." Raine followed with the three kids behind her.

Sheena ran for a door that led to a hallway, leading everyone else through a maze that Raine wasn't familiar with. Everything was green metal walls, sizzling fixtures, and blinking lights. To be in one room was to be in any other as far as she was concerned—as long as Genis, Lloyd, and Colette were together with her.

"Come on! They're this way!" Sheena hollered from a door just ahead on the right. Raine stopped at the door to let the kids through and then closed it behind herself, locking it with the panel just to the side of it.

When she turned around, Sheena had already unlocked the hangar, and a huge door opened in the floor where four flying machines rose on a platform. The wings were folded up, and Raine was reminded of a bird preparing for flight. So, these were Rheairds. As the wings dropped to the side, a turbine beneath the wings folded out the back. Those must be what propelled the machine forward.

Lloyd helped Colette board a Rheaird while Sheena, Genis, and Raine each took their own. Raine stowed her staff and bag of supplies and boarded.

"You just push the big button to start. They're really not that hard to control, but the important part is remembering where the accelerator and the decelerator are." Raine watched Sheena's instructions and understood immediately. This shouldn't be too hard.

"Okay, let's go." Sheena yelled. Raine pushed the large button on the panel and Rheaird fired up. The other Rheairds fired up as well, but she was distracted by a strange high-pitched sound coming from hers. What did that mean? Was that normal? She pulled the lever as Sheena had instructed, and the Rheaird rose from the platform.

Raine was last out of the hangar and they flew into what felt like a world beneath the ocean. Weak waves of mana flowed in different directions. She could feel it shift and change, as if it was pulsing to and from forms she couldn't recognize. She followed the strongest draft of mana, though she felt a weak push attempt to drag her back towards Sylvarant.

Her Rheaird choked.

"Huh? What's happening?" She tried revving the engine again, but the machine clanked as it struggled to stay within the mana slipstream. Another draft caught, and the engine died. She glanced up. "GENIS!"

She saw him look over his shoulder, saw his horrified expression, as her Rheaird took a nosedive in a new direction. The machine had no power. She screamed when she realized it.

She was falling.

The tear in the distortion returned, and a new world appeared. She caught a glimpse of a landscape similar to Sylvarant, only greener. Tall trees, fields and forests, mountains, and a large city enclosed by several layers of walls. Within the center was a tree taller than any of the buildings—

"Wait, what?" Raine gasped. She didn't have time to stare at it. The Rheaird was still falling. She gripped the controls tighter. There was a river just beneath her, and as she turned the controls to veer away from it, she realized she had absolutely no control.

She braced for impact, praying she didn't hit water. If she did, that would be the end of her.

The Rheaird struck ground and the impact broke her grip. She flew over the crushed nose of the Rheaird and face-planted right into the dirt.

"Are you okay?"

Raine moaned from the aches in her body as she slowly regained consciousness. She was lying on something soft.

"Oh! She's coming around!"

"I'll get Master McGovern."

Raine opened her eyes. Directly above her was a white ceiling with ornate trim. Within seconds, a woman entered her line of vision, though the woman was blurry at first. She looked concerned with her eyes wide and alert. Judging by the woman's outfit, she was a maid.

She reached a hand to touch Raine's forehead and brushed some of her short white bangs aside for a better view. "Are you okay?"

Raine sat up and winced. Actually, she wasn't sure whether she was okay or not. Far too much had happened.

"Maybe you should lie down," the maid said as she reached to push her back down, but Raine gently shook her head. "At least have some water."

She took the glass of water from the maid but didn't drink. Instead, she looked around. The room had finer furnishings than any she'd ever seen in Sylvarant. Green banners hung on the wall, each one bearing a symbol she didn't recognize but reminded her of a harp. The room was furnished with lush chairs covered in green velvet. She noticed her staff leaning in the corner of the room, surprisingly unbroken, and she recognized the small bag on the bedside table as her own bag of holding.

Then she remembered how her Rheaird had fallen and died. Clearly, she was in a new place. This time, alone. An awkward shiver ran through her. Being alone like this had never happened before.

Just then, a door opened and an elderly man entered, his full beard tied into several ponytails covered him down to his knees. She could barely see an eye beneath one of his bushy eyebrows, but she watched his moustache twitch into an obvious smile. She'd never seen anyone with so much hair in her life.

"You're awake!" He said, approaching her.

"Yes," the maid replied somberly, "but she hasn't said anything."

Raine glanced down at her glass of water. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little shocked."

The man nodded. "That's understandable. You took quite a fall. I imagine you didn't expect to wake up indoors."

"How did I get here…?"

"Oh, several of our men saw a streak of light in the sky," he said. "We sent some scouts to investigate and they found you near some sort of crashed flying machine. We're really surprised to find you alive."

"I see. So, you saved me. You have my gratitude." Raine said.

"Don't mention it." This man must be Master McGovern.

"Where am I?"

"You're inside the Malkuth base in St. Binah." Saint Binah? _That's not in Sylvarant…. _Which meant Malkuth was likely a military establishment, probably a state or country. Could she really be in Tethe'alla? If so, all she had to do now was find out where the others went and meet up with them.

"Are you feeling all right?" the maid asked again. "Are you hurt?"

Before she could respond, another man entered the room. This one looked in his late 30s and his crisp blue uniform suggested a formal military position, confirming Raine's suspicions about a military base. His expression was much less warm, and with his hair pulled back in a restrained ponytail of his own, she knew he wasn't one to cross. He marched to the bed and stared at her, frowning. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

"Oh, come now, Glenn, don't treat her that way," the old man said. "Can't you let her orient herself before grilling her?"

"She had a flying machine. I want to know where she got it." Glenn turned back to Raine. "Well?"

"I…" Raine didn't know what to say. The Renegades had convinced Tethe'alla to kill Sylvarant's chosen, though she considered it a poor choice to mention being affiliated with them without knowing how the military felt about them. The Renegades_ were_ half-elves after all, and Sheena said they weren't necessarily allies. She also didn't think it was a good idea to mention she was from Sylvarant, especially because she was found alone. Would they believe the Renegades gave it to her instead of her having stolen it? Whatever she said, it was probably best not to mention Sylvarant or the Renegades by name until she had more information. "My friends let me borrow it."

"Your friends? Who are your friends?"

She hesitated. "Sheena."

The gentlemen exchanged glances. "Someone from Sheridan?" _So, they don't know her_, Raine realized. That meant these men were not of the organization who hired her. They were not close with the king.

Master McGovern shrugged. "It would explain a lot."

"I thought Class M were working on those?" Glenn's suspicion seemed to deepen. "I'm sorry. I think I missed it. Where did you say you were from?" He asked again.

Sheridan seemed like an obvious choice, but Raine didn't want to answer questions about Class M. They knew more about Sheridan than she did. What if they didn't believe her? "I'm an itinerant. My name is Raine."

"An itinerant?" Glenn sounded skeptical. "From where?"

"I'm a drifter," Raine said. In essence, it was true. "That is to say, I'm from everywhere." When Glenn raised an eyebrow, she continued. "I'm a professor."

"A traveling professor?" The older man asked.

"Why won't you tell us where you're from?"

"Oh, stop it, Glenn. I think we both know the answer to that." His words froze her blood. It was sheer discipline and stiffness from the fall that she didn't jump up and flee. Usually when she saw indicators that humans knew something she didn't want them to know, it was time to find a new home, a new village. _Did they guess I'm from Sylvarant? _Raine wondered. _Or do they know I'm a half-elf?_ The old man turned back to her. "What do you teach?"

Raine hesitated. He kept his kind and curious tone, and that unsettled her. Maybe it could be safe to say she taught kids, but she felt saying so might upset Glenn further. She had to come up with something a little more specific. "I study ruins," she responded. Finally, Glenn's expression softened, and she knew she finally said something that wasn't suspicious.

"I see. So, have you done much research at the Zao Ruins or are you digging around Choral Castle?"

Raine didn't answer immediately. She stole a glance out the window to stall for time. Of course, she had never heard of either of those places, but would it sound strange to say so?

"Give her a rest," the old man said. "She really did take quite a fall."

"Fine."

"Don't be rude."

"Hmph." Glenn paused and then said, "I am Glenn McGovern, General of Malkuth. This is my father, Field Marshall McGovern. Please, stay here for now, but I ask you to forgive me. I have a meeting to attend to." With that, Glenn turned back for the door. Raine wasn't at all sorry to see him leave.

"Please leave us," Elder McGovern told the maid. She bowed and exited the room as well. Raine's heart beat a little faster. What did the elder McGovern want? Her whole body tensed, prepared to get up if needed. But when he looked at her, she saw he still wore a warm smile. "The research on the hover drive seems to be progressing well for you to make it this far. It seems you flew quite a ways before you crashed."

Raine wasn't sure what to say, so she said nothing at all. Elder McGovern waited as well as if hoping to hear something more, but when Raine turned away to look out the window, he spoke again.

"You're not from around here," Elder McGovern said in a clearly knowing voice. He wasn't referring to her traveling as a professor. She felt her chest tighten. He really did know something... "That's why you're not talking to us. I realize it must be scary ending up in Malkuth. As soon as we can arrange it, we'll see if we can't send you back to Sheridan so you can go home."

Raine breathed through her nose to keep calm and closed her eyes.

"Oh, don't you worry. You don't have to be afraid of me. I'm a _retired_ Field Marshall. Don't be afraid of my son either. He takes his job seriously, but he won't hurt you." He paused. "But," he said, "you're wise not to say too much. As you might've guessed from my son's hostility, people have been on edge lately."

On edge, meaning they knew about Sylvarant's Chosen and Sheena's mission? Sheridan must be the location of the Renegade Base, home of half-elves, and the likely place where they could go back to Sylvarant. "I really need to meet up with my friends before I can think about going home."

He nodded, but his smile was no longer visible in his moustache. "I understand."

"How bad is it? The tension, I mean…."

"I imagine it varies, but some people… well, let's just say it's best if they don't know." She gave him a stiff nod, her mouth going dry.

"U-understood. Um… do you mind keeping all this a secret? I don't want to face persecution."

"I don't blame you. It's a good thing people can't tell just from looking at you, isn't it?" He chuckled but she saw little humor in his comment; he definitely knew she was a half-elf. Why else would he warn her about saying too much? Why was he taking it so lightly? If he saw her ears, he certainly wouldn't be laughing. She flattened her hair over her rather human-looking ears. "Don't worry. We'll see if we can arrange an escort somehow."

So Tethe'alla had prejudice against half-elves that was worse than Sylvarant's. A pang in her heart stung as she thought about Genis. He was, after all, in Tethe'alla without her. Would he still be okay?

"You are welcome to stay here until then."

"Thank you," Raine said softly. She met his eyes. "Really, thank you."

"Don't mention it. I'm sure you didn't intend to invade Malkuth."

_Invade?_ Raine paled, but Elder McGovern was too distracted to notice. A maid had knocked on the door and called for him.

Raine kept to herself in her room, feeling every sore muscle and bruise from her crash. Several times, she got up and retrieved her staff to heal herself, but she couldn't find the mana to pull to her. Even the unicorn horn didn't help her draw enough mana. Was it because they reversed the flow of mana from Tethe'alla? But something about that didn't make sense to her. Tethe'alla should've had plenty of mana...

The only visitors she had were maids offering food and drink or medicine and she ended up not needing her healing magic after all. Even as they came and went, she didn't say anything to them beyond "come in" and "thank you," but she actually preferred it that way. She didn't have to explain herself any further to anyone, though it did leave her worrying about Genis, Lloyd—and Colette.

It still stung what happened to that poor girl. Of course, Raine always knew that the Journey of Regeneration would end in Colette's death, but she thought it was necessary to save the world. What she thought were allies awakening the Goddess Martel had turned into an uglier truth.

The Journey of Regeneration had been a hoax. All those ideals she thought she could trust, the Tower of Salvation, Martel the Goddess, even the angels… all of it was a hoax. She couldn't even trust any of the people involved. Remiel and Kratos, or Yuan who saved their lives at the Tower of Salvation. Yuan led the Renegades, intending to kill Colette, but they were too late. Colette's Cruxis crystal had suppressed her soul and turned her into a shell of girl. But then Kratos, the mercenary hired to help Colette through her journey, turned out to be a traitor working for Cruxis, the organization responsible for spreading gospel about the Journey of Regeneration for the Chosen.

None of them were trustworthy.

She hoped she could at least trust Lloyd and Sheena. They were the only ones with Genis and the only people who could take care of him. But what if they found out Genis was a half-elf? How would they react? Would Genis be abandoned? Or worse…?

"No. Don't think about that." Raine rolled over in her bed. Genis was all she had left. She couldn't let herself lose hope over him. But maybe, maybe Genis's friendship with Lloyd was enough that it wouldn't matter. They've spent about six years growing up together, it had to account for something. But then, she was getting ahead of herself. As far as Lloyd knew, Genis was an elf. There's nothing to fear from him finding out the truth anyway. Even at 17, Lloyd wasn't the kind of kid who would question race unless someone else did, and Genis was smart enough to know he shouldn't let out any hints of his true race.

No, he would be fine. Besides, Sheena had direct connections to a king in Tethe'alla. Certainly, her authority would be enough to protect him. Raine just needed to worry about herself for now. Without proof of any connections to Sheena and the Imperial Research Academy, she had to be extremely careful not to let anything else slip.

The next morning, Elder McGovern invited Raine to breakfast. She agreed but ate in complete silence. Both McGoverns sat across from each other at the end of the table, and she chose a seat next to Elder McGovern for security. Not that this made her any more comfortable. Maids stood about the room, waiting patiently to serve, but Raine knew that if they found out she was a half-elf, they wouldn't be so eager to serve her, not if tensions really were that high.

Glenn ignored her, but she still worried. Clearly, they recognized the Rheaird and knew it was from the Renegades. They correctly deduced that she was a half-elf as a result, and she realized she shouldn't affiliate herself with the Rheaird for now. She would find the children first, and then figure out what to do.

She took a drink of mead and swallowed, more to keep herself calm than anything.

"Oh, why are we sitting in silence?" Elder McGovern said. "Raine, why don't you tell us about your latest research? What are you studying?"

Glenn paused in his eating to watch her from across the table.

Raine stared at him. "I've been studying the ruins around spirit seals."

"Ah, so you were headed for Shurrey Hill. A lot of fonons tend to gather there, I think." Elder McGovern asked.

"Actually, I was going to meet Sheena at the Imperial Research Academy first. That's why she lent me the Rheaird."

"Imperial Research…? Oh, do you mean Imperial Research Institute?" Elder McGovern asked.

"I suppose so…" Raine frowned. She was sure Sheena had called it an academy. Did that matter?

"Huh."

"That's pretty out of the way for you to wind up here." Glenn said. Already she could see his suspicion rising.

"Well, we need to see the king." Raine picked at her food, but felt more and more like she shouldn't volunteer much more information. After all, hadn't Elder McGovern warned her about Sheridan?

"The king? Are you lost?" Glenn asked sharply.

"Clearly," Raine said. Great, she had said the wrong thing anyway. "Why else would I end up in St. Binah?"

"You're an itinerant, where's your map?" When Raine didn't answer, he continued. "Even so, Malkuth is run by an emperor, in case you didn't know." Glenn set his silverware down. "If you're going to lie about your intentions, at least put some effort into it." Offended, Raine glared at him. This human was definitely too aggressive. Couldn't he at least hide his prejudice so the maids around the room wouldn't catch on? And what was this about an emperor? She didn't remember hearing about any emperors. Sheena mentioned a king. It seemed Tethe'alla was divided….

"Oh, come now. I'm sure there's a solid reason for this confusion."

"She's looking for the king, yet she's headed to the Imperial Research Institute… in Grand Chokmah. Did something happen to Emperor Peony last night that I don't know about?"

"I'm not lying. The king shouldn't be far from the research academy," Raine said. "At least, it didn't sound like it was too far."

"Oh, you mean the Royal Academy in Belkend!" Elder McGovern said. "King Ingobert must have a project out there."

"Well, sort of…." Raine said. She supposed studying exspheres must be one of the king's projects.

"Malkuth has a research institute as well," Elder McGovern explained. "That's why I thought you were here." Glenn nodded, but his facial expression adhered to deep distrust.

"I'm in St. Binah by accident."

"We're well aware of that," Glenn said. "We'll send you back to Kimlasca soon enough."

Raine wrinkled her forehead in confusion. _Kimlasca? What is Kimlasca in relation to Sheridan?_

"What's the matter? Is there a problem?" Elder McGovern asked.

"No, it's nothing."

"You don't want to go back to Kimlasca?" Glenn's eyes narrowed. He was testing her, she could tell. But what should she say?

"I need to find the Royal Academy first."

Glenn slapped the table and stood up, upsetting dishes and with his body facing her head on. "Just who _are_ you?"

Even Elder McGovern's jaw dropped a little, a significant achievement for Raine to see considering his full moustache and beard. The panic rose in her chest. She'd said the wrong thing. Even the maids started whispering amongst themselves, glancing at each other as if trying to make sense of her. They knew.

"Okay, what is going on here?" Glenn asked. "Sheridan and Belkend are both part of Kimlasca, a fact you should know since you borrowed the flying machine from your 'friends'." Ah, so Kimlasca was the name of the continent or country. Raine understood now. She wouldn't make that blunder a second time, but for now, she needed to pull herself out of very deep trouble with General McGovern. "Why are you really here?"

"The flying machine malfunctioned," Raine said, stung. "Are you saying you're talented enough to keep track of where you are while losing control of your flying machine, because I had my mind on other things." She paused for effect. "Such as how I was going to land safely with a machine I could no longer control."

At that, Glenn lowered his eyes and looked away. It was several moments before he finally said, "yes, I suppose that would be difficult, but it still seems an awful long way. St. Binah is nowhere near Belkend or even inhabited parts of Kimlasca for that matter."

"The machine is very fast," Raine said. "I couldn't tell you how far I flew before it crashed."

"Still, having come from Sheridan, there's no reason to wind up here. It's the completely opposite direction you'd have to fly! Not to mention..." His voice trailed off, and his eyes unfocused in another direction. "Why wouldn't you know that...? You'd have to be from another world not to—"

A bolt of fear shot through her as Elder McGovern gave his son a "cease and desist" warning expression, which Glenn noticed and went silent. Raine glanced around at the maids who stood politely quiet. They didn't appear any more disturbed by what Glenn said, however. Sylvarant's existence might be known to some people of Tethe'alla, but apparently not all.

Raine pushed her plate away from her and stood up. "I should go." She headed for the door, sensing Glenn glaring at her back. It's not that she blamed him for being hostile. She supposed that was his nature as a soldier, though she couldn't help but feel that she was intruding. The maids made her feel welcome and Elder McGovern certainly was very nice to her, but Glenn's distrust was unsettling. How much of the rest of the world would be so suspicious of her?

"Certainly," Elder McGovern said, throwing an angry look at his son. He stood up as she closed the door behind her, but before she made to her room, she heard Elder McGovern call from down the hallway.

"Raine," He had followed her. "Please don't mind Glenn."

She ignored him and hurried to her room to gather her staff and bag. She headed down the hall towards the front door of the Malkuth base where he waited in the hallway, watching her. She stopped long enough to peer back at the door to the meeting room. "I'm sorry." And she rushed for the front door.

"Is that what your Score says to do?"

Raine paused with her palm almost against the front door. She turned back to face him. "What?"

"Does your Score say it's time to leave?"

She stared at him, unsure what to say. What did he mean by Score? Was someone keeping track of something?

"Are you all right?" He asked, approaching her. She didn't answer. "Have you consulted it lately?"

"No."

"Really?" Elder McGovern took her hand.

"Have you?"

"Well… not since—it didn't say anything—Oh, who needs to check it daily? Why don't you stay anyway? We have a shipment coming from Engeve. They can help you find a way to Kimlasca." He tugged at her hand as she tried to leave. "Please, Raine. I insist. It will be far too dangerous for you to go alone."

She supposed that was true. If Glenn's attitude was any indication, she'd be in trouble if people outside of the manor knew she was a half-elf, let alone someone from Sylvarant.

"They should be here soon, either today or tomorrow. I promise you, it will be much faster and safer than on foot." Of course, he was right about that. "I know Rose. She'll protect you."

Raine sighed and closed her eyes. Putting up with Glenn for that long shouldn't be hard if she stayed out of his way. "Very well."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Resolution**_

_On the way to St. Binah, Ion collapsed. Talk about a wimp, sheesh. Oh well, I guess we'd better take a rest now._

_While I was explaining the situation to Guy, some Oracle Knights attacked us all of a sudden. We managed to take care of them, but I couldn't get myself to kill a real live person...and Tear ended up getting hurt because of it. We ended up staying overnight here to let Tear's injury heal._

_Everybody says that I don't have to fight, that it's perfectly normal for civilians to be afraid of killing._

_But what they're really saying is that I'm just in the way. I don't want to be treated like that, so I decided I'm going to make myself do it. I don't want to kill people, but if I have to do it in order to survive, then I guess there's not much choice._

_Everyone accepted my resolution and now we're off to St. Binah again._

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Raine sought refuge in the study where shelves upon shelves of books waited to be read. She approached the books and looked at the spines, but was surprised to see unfamiliar writing. Sure enough, when she opened a book, she found she couldn't read it. Did Sheena encounter the same trouble in Sylvarant? No, she couldn't have. She had taken the test in Palmacosta with everyone else and she did better than Lloyd did. The only way Sheena could've done worse was if she couldn't read. Then, perhaps, did the Renegades teach Sheena the written language? That was possible, she supposed.

Either way, Raine didn't want to feel the shame of the McGoverns believing she couldn't read. They knew she was a teacher and assumed that she could read, so she would have to put in some serious effort to learn before anyone caught on.

There was a way. She saw a map in the study and looked it over. If she could use what she learned about Malkuth to decipher the map, which clearly wasn't a map of the whole world, she might be able to decipher some of the texts. From the map, she knew the shape of the continent she was on. The world couldn't possibly be one giant landmass, and this map had a bridge connecting two landmasses, both of which were cut off. This may have been Malkuth, but it wasn't where she intended to be.

"I'm afraid that map needs updating." Elder McGovern startled her. She turned and saw him walking towards the desk near the wall where the map hung. Immediately, her heart picked up pace. "According to that, Kimlasca-Lanvaldear still owns Akzeriuth." He pointed to the lower half of the continent where the map was cut off. "The Fubras River used to divide the north from the south."

_Malkuth is the north, then, which means Kimlasca is the country to the south._ "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'm not familiar with Malkuth's geography."

"That's quite all right." Elder McGovern pointed to the top half of the landmass. "Our capital, Grand Chokmah is at the top of Rugnica. It actually sits on the water." Privately, Raine decided she's never going there. "Engeve is the city in the plains north of here. This," he pointed to a town next to a large river and a plateau, "is St. Binah. There is, of course, also Sylvana, but it's not on this map."

"How do I get to Belkend from here?"

"Rose will probably find you an escort who can take you across the Rotelro Bridge. After that you can head south to Chesedonia, and you'll be back in Kimlasca." She became aware that he was watching her.

"Thank you."

"For an itinerant, you're quite ignorant of our world maps."

"I'm sorry," Raine said. "I just… It's too dangerous to tell anyone where I'm really from. You understand."

His chin lowered in disappointment. "I see." Elder McGovern hesitated. "Don't tell Glenn that. He'll insist on some answers."

Raine didn't say anything, but her body language must have said plenty.

In a low voice, he said "You don't seem to be malicious." He pulled a folded paper from his desk drawer and opened it on the desk. It was a full world map showing several large land masses, each labeled with more foreign writing. Raine leaned over his shoulder. "Well, I know you know Sheridan at least. That's where you got the flying machine." Even so, he pointed to a city on the upper right of the continent on the far left of the map. "You're headed to Belkend, correct?"

"Yes. Where is it?"

Elder McGovern pointed to the next continent over, just across a narrow strait of water. No wonder Glenn was so suspicious. Belkend and Sheridan were close enough for someone to travel in just a few days, let alone taking a Rheaird to fly overhead. As he said, St. Binah was in a whole other direction. She supposed if she were Glenn, she would've been highly suspicious and hostile as well.

"And this is Baticul, the capital of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear where King Ingobert VI reigns." Baticul was on the same continent as Belkend, but it still looked like quite the trip. A marsh and strip of mountains separated the two cities. "If you're going through the Aberria desert, you'll want to know about the oasis." He pointed to a town about halfway through the desert. "When you reach Chesedonia," he pointed to a town north of the desert, "be sure you stock up. You won't find much food or water out there."

"I will. Thank you." Raine noticed the continent with Sheridan had hardly anything on it aside from desert mountains. "I've been here a lot," she lied, pointing at the continent, "but I don't know what it's called."

"Oh? It's the Radessia continent. This area is the Meggiora Highlands. If you've survived out there, you'll be fine in the Zao Desert."

"Where is Sylvana?"

"That's this northern continent here. And that's the town of Keterburg."

"What's this continent? Is this part of Malkuth or Kimlasca?" Raine realized she asked a strange question when Elder McGovern raised an eyebrow at her. She pulled away. "I've spent a long time on Radessia." He watched her for a moment, but clearly, it wasn't enough of an excuse not to know. Still, he answered her.

"That is the continent of Padamiya, where Daath is." Apparently, this was common knowledge. It's okay to be ignorant of Malkuth as someone from Kimlasca, and vice versa, but everyone knew about Daath. She would have to find some way to learn more about it, discreetly.

"The Rotelro Bridge leads to this island. What is this called?"

"That is the Ispanian Peninsula."

"Is it part of Malkuth?"

"Yes. Chesedonia is an autonomous city, with Malkuth to the north of it, Kimlasca-Lanvaldear to the south of it. Chesedonia is run by the Chesedonia Merchant's Guild."

"I see. Thank you." Raine said. "I know it must seem so suspicious to know so little about the world's geography. I appreciate your kindness in explaining it to me."

"Anything I can do to help." He spoke softly as if unsure about something. "You don't seem to have malicious intent."

"Coming to Malkuth was an accident."

"Yes, I'm sure it was," though he didn't sound like he believed it.


	3. Chapter 3

_**The Citadel, St. Binah**_

_We finally reached St. Binah, but Oracle Knights had closed off the entrance. Dammit, they got ahead of us! But as we were thinking about what to do, a wagon from Engeve came by to deliver food supplies, so we hitched a ride and snuck in._

_Now we have to find Anise without those Oracle soldiers finding us. Anise should be waiting at the Malkuth base inside the town._

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Raine drew a map and wrote down what she'd learned from Elder McGovern. So, Tethe'alla had three autonomous states Chesedonia, Malkuth, and Kimlasca. Daath was possibly a fourth autonomous state, though she wasn't sure how it was ruled. At the very least, it was a city whose name she could read, since the letters in "Malkuth" confirmed it for her. Elder McGovern had given her the map and a couple of books for recommended reading and the freedom to explore his library, which she took full advantage of.

As she explored the map and the library, she noticed that the Tethe'allan symbols represented sounds just like in Sylvarant, which would make it much easier for her to translate. She couldn't read everything, but thanks to the map, she could at least make out some information. She did run into some trouble with translations, though. It seemed that not all sounds translated equally. "Chesedonia" didn't read with the same "k" sound as "Malkuth" and "Keterburg." Cleary, Tethe'alla used different symbols to accommodate the same sounds. Even so, she copied as much as she could into her notebook to study on.

The more that Raine tried to translate, the more confused she became. Rather than finding familiar words, the words were very unfamiliar. The phonetic system must be slightly different than she thought. Still, she was determined to figure out how to read before anyone caught on that she couldn't.

Satisfied for now, she stepped into the hallway and closed the door to the study. She carried four books in her arms with the map safely tucked into her pocket and started back towards her room when she heard voices coming from the audience hall. They sounded angry. Curious, she peeked through the crack in the door where she could barely see Glenn standing near the fireplace, his shoulder to her.

"What is the letter about?" Elder McGovern asked. "Does it explain why the God-Generals are here?"

"How should I know? It's for Colonel Curtiss." Glenn waved an envelope, flipping it over to see the other side.

"Ah, probably not then. You really should get rid of them."

"They look like they're searching for something. Her, maybe?" He glanced back at the door and she instinctively ducked back. Someone was looking for her?

"I doubt it. Send them away."

Glenn sighed heavily. "Father, you know I can't just send them away." He paused. "But I should see what a Fon Master Guardian wants with Jade." She heard him tear open the envelope to read the letter. _Fon Master Guardian_? What was that? After a lengthy moment of silence, she heard, "Huh, it seems he is headed this way. 'Really scary time...'? Hm, I wonder what's happened. Is it related to Raine?"

"Quit obsessing about her."

"Father, there's so little we know about her. And now the God-Generals are here? I'll bet it has something to do with her. Why is she here?"

"_We_ brought her here, Glenn," Elder McGovern said. "Remember? And why would the God-Generals be looking for her?"

"Maybe she's wanted for something."

"She did crash nearby. Maybe they are just looking for the origins of the light, like we did."

"All the more reason to give her up to them. It means no one knows why she's here."

Her brows furrowed in anger. Humans never could keep their promises.

The main doors of the Malkuth Base opened and several people walked in. Three men, a young boy, and a woman entered the hallway. The young man, about Lloyd's age, with long red hair looked grumpy, holding his hands behind his head as walked in.

Behind him, a boy with green hair caught her attention. He wore white and pale green robes, which sort of resembled something Raine had seen church members wear. He also held a staff in his hand that reminded her of a tuning fork. Was he from the Church of Martel? He didn't quite look like the priests of Sylvarant. Next to him, a tall man with brown hair and glasses wore a uniform of a clean and crisp navy blue with white trim. Another soldier!

He locked eye contact with her, and she blinked, turning away.

She fled before they could talk to her.

Raine stowed the books and the map into her bag and paused. God-Generals... Who were they? They sounded like they were part of a religious faction, but she'd never heard of anything like them in the Church of Martel. Although, the McGoverns' inability to remove them from Saint Binah surely suggested a more powerful organization, which a religious organization would fit that. Was it possible Daath was where they came from? Was that the base of the Church of Martel? That would've made sense except the Church of Martel didn't have soldiers. ...Or Tethe'alla's version of the Church of Martel had become more militant.

She had to know more about them. She peeked back into the hallway and saw the group of people were no longer there. They must have gone into the meeting room, but just who were they? Were they the people from Engeve that Elder McGovern mentioned? No, they couldn't be. Rose sounded like a merchant and there was a soldier in the group. The woman herself even wore a heavy brown dress that could've been a military uniform as well, though it wasn't as obvious as the man in the blue uniform. He was more likely Jade, but she wasn't sure. With no one else around, Raine quietly hurried back to the meeting room door to listen and find out.

"I appreciate your taking her along." She heard Elder McGovern say. Raine's eyes widened. Perhaps it was Rose after all! She didn't have to wait as long as she thought. Though it still concerned her that Rose and possibly a colonel were traveling together.

"We can take her as far as Chesedonia." Another voice responded. This one belonged to another gentleman that she couldn't see well enough through the crack. Which one was he? Not the red-headed teenage boy for sure. "We'll figure out something from there."

"That should be far enough." Elder McGovern continued. "Once she's back in Kimlasca, she should be safe." Could it be…? Raine's heartbeat quickened. It sounded possible that Kimlasca had a slightly better view of half-elves. That made sense, considering the Renegades tried helping the king save Tethe'alla, but why wouldn't Malkuth be interested in helping to save the world, too? Were they _that_ distrustful of half-elves and the Renegades? Or were they even involved in the decision to kill Colette? After all, Sheena never mentioned an emperor and that was probably the reason why.

"Also, if the God-Generals are chasing you, I'll gladly lend a hand. I was elected by the city representatives here. Come by anytime you need help."

"Thank you, Field Marshal."

So, they weren't after her. She could at least breathe easy about that. Raine started to move, but the door to the study opened behind her and a maid emerged.

"Oh! You're right here. I thought you'd be in the study still... but... anyway, go on into the meeting room. Elder McGovern would like to speak with you."

Raine nodded and entered the meeting room. Sure enough, the small group of people she saw earlier stood around the room and, all faces turned to her as the maid announced their presence.

The soldier glanced at her and then pushed up his glasses as he turned slightly away from her.

The young boy in church clothes and the blond man both smiled politely while the redhead's face soured. Rose, however, hid a smile behind brown bangs that covered half her face. The rest of her long hair flowed down her back.

"This is Raine. Please take good care of her." Elder McGovern said. Then, he gestured to the soldier. "Raine, this is Colonel Jade Curtiss. He can get you home." Colonel Curtiss... So, she was correct.

"Now, now, 'home' is a bit farther than where we're going," Jade said. "But we'll take her as far as we can."

The redhead groaned. "Why do we have to take her? Why can't you guys send her with someone else?"

"Luke," Rose said. "She's in enemy territory. There's no reason we can't take her with us."

Luke sighed. "Fine, but she'd better stay out of my way." He turned to Raine. "And don't hold us back."

Well that's a rude way to talk to someone. If he were one of her students, she would've smacked him. But since they are bringing her along and protecting her, not to mention Glenn's hostility, and being in another world, she simply said, "thank you. I'll try my best not to be a burden."

"Ignore Luke," the blond man told her. "He's just anxious to get home."

"Yes, he treats everyone like that." Rose said. "Don't take it personally."

"I won't. Thank you for taking me along."

"Oh, it's nothing." Jade said. "We're headed to Chesedonia anyway. We could use the extra help."

The green-haired boy nodded and approached her. She noticed his somewhat pale face and wondered if he was why they needed the extra help.

"I'm Fon Master Ion. It's a pleasure to meet you," the young boy said.

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," Raine said. She was curious, though, that the youngest person in the room was Fon Master Ion. What was he a master of? Either way, it his guardian who left the letter with the McGoverns, she was sure.

A little blue puff of fur floated up to her with a golden ring around its middle. It had long blue ears like human pigtails and was certainly nothing like she'd ever seen before. It was blue and white like Noishe, but smaller than Noishe's head. "And I'm Mieu!" It spoke with a high-pitched voice like a child's. Raine stared at the furry little beast. Where did it come from?

"Wh-what is—what are you, Mieu?"

"I'm a cheagle!"

"Cheagles are sacred beasts of the Order of Lorelei," Ion said. Order of Lorelei…? Another church? Possibly the organization associated with the God-Generals, but what about the Church of Martel...? Well, the existence of another religious faction didn't necessarily mean anything. Sheena had simply said the Church of Martel existed in Tethe'alla. She didn't say it was the only religious organization.

"Mieu is serving his master Luke until he pays his debt," the blond man added.

"Poor thing…" Raine resisted the urge to snatch the little cheagle out of the air to dissect it. She was definitely interested in how the creature could speak the human language. Was it possible other animals in Tethe'alla could? Was it the excess mana that did it? But she'd never heard of it before.

"I am Guy Cecil," the blond spoke and gestured to the woman at the other side of the table. "and this is Tear." What? Who was Rose, then? Confused, Raine sought answers from Elder McGovern.

"I thought Rose was coming for me?"

"Ah, well, change of plans," Elder McGovern said. "Jade is headed to Chesedonia. I asked if he could take you instead."

"Nice time for a chat, but we should probably leave." Jade headed for the front door.

"Please wait," Raine said. "Let me get something." She hurried back to her room for her bag and staff. As she rejoined the group, she couldn't help but feel a bit excited. The McGoverns had been friendly enough, but she was glad to be rid of Glenn's attitude. Not to mention now she could begin looking for Genis.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: If you started reading this story before this update in 2020, please start over. I have made significant changes from this chapter forward that affect plot coherence. Plus, it might help to refresh yourself on what happened. :)  
**

* * *

_It was the Oracle Knights' Six God-Generals that had blocked off the town-though only five of them were here. They weren't able to find us, so they opened up the entrance again and left. If only they'd left earlier, we wouldn't have had to go to so much trouble to get in. Anise wasn't in the Malkuth base. When she found out that the Oracle soldiers were watching St. Binah, she left a letter for us and went on ahead. The letter said that she'd gone to Kaitzur, which Jade said is on the other side of the Fubras River to the south. So, now we're heading for the Fubras. Elder McGovern also pawned a woman off on us. Her name is Raine and she's from Sheridan in Kimlasca. Apparently she's pretty mysterious, at least according to Elder McGovern, but I don't really care about that. Jeez, why do we have to take her with us? At least she doesn't seem to be as obnoxious as Jade is._

* * *

**Chapter 4**

"Actually, can we rest here?" Fon Master Ion said once they reached the front gates of Saint Binah.

"Overworked yourself again?" Jade said.

"I'm sorry."

He did look a little unhealthy to Raine, and her disappointment melted away from the concern. Was his job that hard on him? Ignoring Luke's objections, nobody else had a problem with taking a break, so they stayed the night at an inn. Raine watched Mieu with a sort of fascination. She'd never seen a cheagle before and Sheena certainly never mentioned them. For a beast to be considered sacred, the Order of Lorelei must be a religion, adding fuel to her theory about Daath. If Daath was autonomous, it was highly possible the religion was based there. As she watched Luke grab Mieu by the ears and swing him around, a thought occurred to her. There were an awful lot of things Sheena never told them about Tethe'alla. Were there just as many questions Sheena had about Sylvarant? Did the Renegades have to tell her so much information, too?

Mieu fell onto Luke's bed, his eyes spinning and he fell in a dizzy faint into the blankets. She supposed it made sense that two different worlds would also have different writing systems, but she was sure Sheena mentioned they had the same religious beliefs and followed the teachings of the Church of Martel. She never once mentioned the Order of Lorelei or the God Generals. Then again, mentioning them would have been alarming.

"Anyway," Jade turned to Ion. "Where did the God Generals take you when they abducted you?" Immediately, Raine paid attention. Abducted?

"To the Sephiroth."

Raine tilted her head. Sephiroth? What were they talking about?

"Sephiroth?" Luke asked.

She sighed in relief. At least she wasn't the only one who didn't know what they were. But his question drew exasperation from the others. She remained silent, but was almost certain they could hear her heart beat louder. This was something she'd be expected to know as well.

"They are the planet's vital points where fonons gather. They're the world's most powerful fon slots." Tear said. Raine simply stared. It was like she had switched brains with Lloyd. Even more terms came up that she didn't recognize. But vital points sounded like spirit seals... At least spirit seals were the most powerful places in Sylvarant. What were fonons?

"Are you all right, Raine? You look as pale as Ion." Guy asked.

"Yes, thank you." She turned away and listened with her back to them. So, he was watching her. She'd rather appreciate his not drawing attention to her.

"Anyway, there are ten Sephiroth and they are where the memory particles gather." Tear continued. _Yes_, Raine decided, _they are definitely the spirit seals._ But in Sylvarant, they only found four with spirits. Why did the Chosen's journey only need four of them? Fonons must be another term for mana, which meant they must have different names for the same thing, and memory particles were something else entirely. The Renegades absolutely helped Sheena transition to Sylvarant. There was no other way Sheena could hide her origins so successfully from Raine, knowing all of these differences.

Luke groaned. "Okay I get it, jeez. You don't have to talk to me like I'm an idiot."

"Well, you did ask." Guy said.

"As you said, you're not expected to know everything." Tear added, and Raine wondered why. Was Luke just as inadequate with learning as Lloyd was? Why did they expect so little out of him?

"Hm, so what did they do at the Sephiroth?" Jade asked. Ion shook his head.

"I'm not allowed to say. That's confidential to the Order."

Confidential to the Order. Raine had heard _that_ before and her face tightened from anger. Cruxis sealed away secrets as well, and those secrets turned out very different from what the Church of Martel stood for. Angry, she stood up and headed for the inn door. "I'm going for a walk."

"Don't get lost now. We're leaving in the morning." Jade said.

_The stress must be getting to me_, she thought. She wandered the streets of Saint Binah and glanced around. Her deep distrust of humans had only ever been surpassed by her the wounds she got from visiting Cruxis at the Tower of Salvation. Finding out everything was fake and then hearing more secrets from another organization—one that sounded religious—frustrated her that much more. God Generals sounded just like the kind of military an "order" would have.

Not to mention the new terms they used to describe the things she knew in Sylvarant by a different name.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Startled, Raine turned and saw Guy walking closer, though he stopped several feet away. He wore a tan vest over a white shirt, but it was the green choker at his neck that enticed her curiosity. It had a small gold pendant that contradicted the rest of his appearance. He said, "Taking a walk does help. You look better already." He definitely was paying too much attention to her. Why? He watched her with an amused smile. "You kinda remind me of Luke with that blank stare."

"Oh, sorry." Raine turned away again.

"Is everything okay? You looked a little upset..."

"I'm just not sure what to say."

"What do you mean?" Guy asked. When she didn't answer, he added, "Is it about Luke? I know it's weird that he's asking questions about how the world works, but please don't fault him for it."

"How the world works… I wonder why he wouldn't know." Raine laughed then. "Then again, Lloyd is the same way. I can tell him the same thing over and over and he wouldn't absorb any of it."

"Ah, one of your students, I take it?"

"What? Oh, Elder McGovern told you I'm a professor."

"Yeah. Actually, Luke's problem is that he lost his memory after his kidnapping seven years ago." At this, Raine gasped, but Guy shook his head. "Everything's okay now. He's just trying to remember everything." That explained Tear explaining to him about Sephiroth.

"That was seven years ago. Didn't they teach him what he couldn't remember about his world?"

"The thing is, he didn't remember anything. They taught him how to walk and to relearn his parents' faces all over again. And he never left the manor until now, so he's learning the basics."

"How serious," she whispered. He must have forgotten literally everything... And yet, they didn't bother to reteach him everything he'd forgotten. She smiled, then, a soft smile from comfort. If she stuck close to Luke, she would learn right alongside him. The trick would be to figure out what questions were okay to ask.

Guy stared at her, apparently torn between opening his mouth to speak and keeping silent. She guessed he was trying to decide if he should ask what was on his mind or not. _It might be better to interrupt his thoughts._

"I just... Luke was so rude when we first met."

"Nah, don't let him get to you. Crossing into the Malkuth Empire was an accident and yet he was treated as a criminal. He's just a little cranky." So Luke didn't belong in Malkuth either. Were they just dropping him off at Chesedonia, too? Is that why Jade agreed to take her?

"Yes, I can understand that." Raine said. "I came here accidentally myself. The Rhe—the flying machine crashed, and I'm afraid I've been stranded here."

"Ah, that explains it. But if you're from Sheridan, why are you heading for Belkend?"

Raine blushed with panic. _Guy knows, too!_ "I'm not actually _from_ Sheridan."

"Huh…. Elder McGovern seemed to think so."

_Is that true? _she wondered. Hadn't Elder McGovern figured out she was from Sylvarant? Oh, he was covering for her. But was it okay to let Guy think she was from Sheridan? They could all easily guess she's a half-elf if they thought she was one of the Renegades. She couldn't afford that. "No." Raine said firmly. "He's mistaken."

"Really? Where'd you get the flying machine then?" So, the flying machines were definitely connected to Sheridan and the Renegade Base.

Raine didn't realize she'd held her breath until this moment. He was watching her with curiosity, not disgust. In fact, she thought she saw his eyes light up. Was he actually friendly with the Renegades and half-elves? Is that why Elder McGovern said something to him about her being from Sheridan?

"I borrowed it." Raine said simply. She still felt tense, but she could relax a little. Guy didn't seem to be hostile towards half-elves.

"You must be really close friends with Class M to borrow one." Class M, there it was again. Were they half-elves working on the machines? "Were you heading to Class I to show them Class M's hundredth win?"

Raine didn't respond, but merely took interest in a garden full of flowers she'd never seen before. She sidled up to them. Would Guy know she was from Sylvarant if she admitted to being confused about Class I and Class M? It began to sound like half-elves were in classes, though she wasn't sure why or what that meant exactly. He followed her, but she noticed he still maintained his distance. Suspicious, she kept to the river rock wall that enclosed the garden, running her fingers along it.

"So… tell me about the flying machine. How does it work? I heard they excavated a hover drive. Is that really how it flies?"

"Possibly," Raine said. "But I'm afraid I don't know much about it. It's just called a Rheaird and it—flies."

His shoulders sagged as he sighed, clearly disappointed. Oh, it was the flying machine he was interested in. But he quickly recovered and smiled again. "Oh, well. I was just hoping. Perhaps someday I'll get to go to Sheridan and see it for myself. I'm sure they have another one there."

"Did you want to see it now?" Raine asked. He watched her wander to the other side of the garden, but he didn't approach her. At the suggestion, though, his eyes brightened and he bared his teeth in a big boyish smile. "I'm not sure where exactly it crashed, but I remember the city was on my right as I was falling. It was just across the river, if memory serves."

He seemed strongly tempted, looking back over his shoulder to look at the front gates of Saint Binah. For several seconds he stood there and she was sure he would say yes, but then he heaved an exaggerated sigh, faced her again, and said, "I'd better not. If we don't get enough sleep tonight, Jade and Luke will probably have our hides. We need to be well rested for tomorrow."

Raine gave him a teasing smile as she half leaned, half sat on the garden wall.

"Oh, I don't mind staying up a little longer." Even if he did keep his distance, he was rather pleasant company. He had a passion for the flying machine and she wanted to know more. She found herself a bit curious about his story as well. "So how did you get to be traveling with them?"

"When Luke accidentally arrived in Malkuth, I came after him." When Raine raised an eyebrow, Guy laughed and continued, "I'm his servant. I've been serving House Fabre for thirteen years." Ah, a servant! That explained his clothes. While he had collected some dirt from travel, he didn't quite look poor, but he didn't look from an elevated status either.

"Really? You must have been awful young when you started."

"I was seven. That's why I got the job of entertaining Luke. I was too young for any real work." Guy paused. "What are you smiling about?"

"I was just thinking about Genis." Raine pulled herself up to sit on the rock wall. She noticed his puzzled expression. "My younger brother. I traveled with him ever since—" She stopped. "Well, we were both very young, too."

"I see. An itinerant professor traveling the world. Didn't you think of settling down anywhere?"

Raine looked up at the few stars visible with the lamplight. Of course she thought about it. Everywhere she and Genis tried to settle down, humans were friendly until they found out they were half-elves. It didn't matter how long the humans had known them or even despite the positive experiences, the humans always turned against them. She must've had a lonely expression on her face.

"You really miss your brother." Guy said.

"We… just weren't welcome in many places." Raine replied, smiling at him again. He seemed to be just as curious about her. Perhaps he _was_ genuine? "I'm afraid it's been a long time just the two of us. Twelve years, actually."

"Where is he?"

At this Raine stood, avoiding his eyes. "I don't know." She jumped down and continued around the rock wall, coming around the corner to be on the same side as he was. He turned around to face her but took a step back. "We got separated when my Rheaird failed." She leaned against the wall, but he still kept his distance, though she noticed a mix of wonder and concern in his eyes.

"I'm—I'm sorry."

"That's okay," Raine said. She watched him, wondering if he would come closer. Usually, if a man seemed interested in talking to her, he would approach her and try to console her, so long as he thought she was an elf. He didn't even bother moving closer and she lost her smile. "He's somewhere in this world. That's enough for me," she said softly. Maybe he wasn't such an ally after all. It figures. Maybe she should test this theory.

"Man, that's just rough," Guy said. He scratched his nose, not looking at her. She stood straight and walked closer to him. As soon as he noticed her, he stepped back, step for step. "I can't imagine why you wouldn't be welcome in many places though."

Raine nearly scoffed and stopped where she was. "You can't?" Was he for real? He just backed off as she approached him!

"Well, I mean the tension is a little strong lately, but why should that mean you'd be rejected so much?" She glared at him in disbelief and he noticed. He started talking faster, "People can be a bit mean," he said, not looking at her. "But how bad can _everyone_ be—" She cut him off.

"—I'll enlighten you. They're just plain prejudiced. We can be friends yesterday, but tomorrow, things will change. It's been like that my whole life. Don't pretend you're any different."

"Whoa, hey! What's with the attack all of a sudden?" He truly looked surprised.

"You backed up as I approached you." She paused. "Just now." She pointed at his feet, and his eyes followed. A wash of embarrassment and panic flooded his face.

"I don't approach women in general because… well…" His voice trailed off as he looked away again, this time scratching the back of his head, but Raine wasn't fooled. He was just trying to drum up some excuse for avoiding proximity with her.

She'd seen it before in humans who realize she's a half-elf. They can sometimes be friendly to her face, but inside, there's an ulterior motive. There's _always_ an ulterior motive. Yet they always show themselves in their body language. He shivered, visibly withdrawing from her.

In this case, Guy's motive was obvious. The way his eyes lit up at mention of the flying machine… He wanted to know all about the Rheairds. A sense of anger and disappointment poisoned her stomach. She knew it. His passion for Rheairds was why he wanted anything to do with her. He certainly wasn't any different from anyone else.

"I'll spare you the excuses. I'm going to bed." She didn't answer his call to come back.

* * *

_**Ion's Situation**_

_Ion collapsed yet again. Man, he sure is weak. I guess we'll have to stop and rest for the night. Apparently Ion collapsed because the Oracle soldiers were dragging him around to the Sephiroth. Sephiroth are something like the planet's vital points. I wanted to find out what they were doing there, but Ion said it was a secret of the Order and wouldn't tell me. We just saved his butt and this is how he acts?!_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: If you started reading this story before this update in 2020, please start over. I have made significant changes since chapter 4 that affect plot coherence. Plus, it might help to refresh yourself on what happened. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Staff in hand, Raine walked, watching the backs of her new companions. They were too trusting, letting a new addition keep to the rear when they knew so little about her. That suited her just fine. Jade led the group with Ion just behind him.

Guy walked with Luke between him and Tear, and Raine restrained glaring at Guy's back. She caught him glancing back at her with an expression of innocent confusion, but she didn't acknowledge it. She turned her nose away to admire a tree instead, but she couldn't help wondering, was he faking?

At Luke's shoulder, Mieu floated with the golden ring around his waist. He fascinated her. Several times she thought about asking Mieu about the ring and his ability to talk, but she was afraid that it was common knowledge. A cheagle is sacred to the Order of Lorelei, and while she got away with not knowing what it was, she suspected that not knowing more about it would show too much ignorance.

Tear stopped walking so she could take up stride next to her. "I'm happy you can join us," she said. She smiled a rather warm smile; she didn't seem to know about Raine's heritage, but then again, Guy had seemed friendly at first, too.

"Thank you. I appreciate your letting me come with you."

"What kind of fighting can you do?" Tear asked. "I just want to be sure if I have another civilian to protect." Luke heard this and spun around, angry.

"What do you mean 'another civilian'? I said I'd fight, didn't I?! Jeez, you guys don't lay off about that." He stomped ahead at a faster pace. Guy called after him.

Raine wanted to smack Luke, but where Guy was his servant, she wasn't sure what she'd be able to get away with. It sounded like Luke had a position of power and it might be a bit dangerous to punish him. Especially since no one else wanted to retaliate.

Tear ignored him. "So, do you have some skills in defense or fighting?"

"Yes. I can heal and use some magic."

"You can do what Jade does?" Mieu asked.

Jade's a spell caster? Raine shifted to look at him, but he turned away, pushing up his glasses with one finger. Did that mean Jade had an exsphere? It was possible, since he was a colonel. Even so... using spells meant that he had to have _some_ elven blood. Not enough for anyone in Malkuth to care, though. _Hypocrites_, she thought bitterly. But then again, most humans were like that. It was one of their follies, she supposed.

"Well, I don't know specifically what Jade does, but I can hold my own," Raine said. "There shouldn't be any trouble."

"Certainly, she's not as afraid to kill as Luke is. That's quite a relief." Jade said, and Luke immediately up-started, "I can fight! Just because I faltered at the Tartarus doesn't mean I'm still afraid."

"Oh, sorry. My mistake. I hadn't realized your resolve was so strong." Jade continued walking. Raine smiled, amused. Even if he was snarky, he had a way of putting Luke in his place. Though judging from the child's satisfied expression, she wasn't sure he really understood the sarcasm.

How everyone knew each other puzzled her. Guy and Luke's relationship was clear, but everyone else... Luke didn't have the same familiarity with the others that he carried with Guy, and everyone else seemed like recent acquaintances. Well, she decided, the beginning of a journey with new people was the best time to ask questions about relationships. She turned to Tear.

"How did you come to be travelling with everyone?"

Immediately, Tear blushed and lowered her chin, strange for a soldier. "I'm the one who removed Luke from his manor in Kimlasca. I'm responsible for bringing him home."

"An accident..." Raine said, remembering what Guy said back at St. Binah. "How do you accidentally remove someone from his home?"

"We are seventh fonists." Tear answered her. "We caused a hyperresonance." Luke held his hands behind his head.

Raine hesitated. Was she expected to understand? Tear didn't elaborate, so Raine just nodded. "I see." Judging from just the name, she could assume a massive amount of energy, but she hadn't heard about energy relocating people like that. How exactly did hyperresonances work?

"Thankfully, we ran into the colonel and the Fon Master. They agreed to help us if we help them."

Now that Raine was talking though, she noticed Guy slowing to walk with them. He still maintained his distance, but he definitely listened in.

Raine asked, "If you're returning him to Kimlasca, that means Chesedonia is not your last stop."

Jade finally looked at her, slightly surprised. "Our last stop is Luke's home in Baticul. We need his status to speak with the king."

"His status...?" Just how high up was this kid? High enough that no one punished him and he was obviously spoiled, but... "Is he the king's son?"

Guy laughed. "No, but you're close enough. He's the king's nephew. His mother married Duke Fabre."

Raine suddenly became glad she didn't smack Luke for being so rude to her. The last thing she needed was to show up at the duke's doorstep and have Luke complain about getting beat up. She'd probably be beheaded immediately, full-blood elf or not. No wonder everyone else was docile towards him.

"Where are you from?" Raine asked Tear.

At that, Tear looked surprised, holding her free hand to her mouth. "I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself properly. I am Tear Grants of the Oracle Knights Intelligence Division." Meaning what? Raine didn't respond. But Oracle Knights... What organization were they with? Was that Kimlasca, too? Tear noticed her confusion. "You don't have to worry. I'm not working with the God-Generals. I'm working under the Grand Maestro. My mission is separate from what they're doing."

Wait, Tear was from the Order of Lorelei? So why were the God-Generals after them if they had one of their own in the group? Ah, that's how Tear interpreted her confusion. Raine said, "Multiple factions of the Order are in conflict, I take it?" Ahead of them, Ion stopped and turned around.

"I suppose we should tell you if you'll be travelling with us," Ion said. "But it's because of the factions that we're trying to keep this mission secret."

"Fon Master, do you think that's a good idea?" Tear asked, though she threw Raine an apologetic look. Raine agreed with her. Why tell her anything when they don't know anything about her?

Jade shrugged. "With what Elder McGovern told me, I doubt she's a spy for the God-generals." She tensed. What all did he say to Jade? Either way, she surveyed the others and didn't like their puzzled expressions. "She's more likely to help us if she knows what we're up to."

"You're right," Raine said. "I am concerned about a Malkuth colonel taking me back to Kimlasca when the two countries are hostile. I'm sorry, but I won't be expected to trust you just because a Malkuth Field Marshall recommended you to take me home."

"Our mission is of peace," Jade said. "Make of that what you will."

"Besides," Guy said, gesturing at Raine. "We don't know much about you, either. Someone from Radessia who passed through Sheridan?"

"I think we should restrain suspicion for now." Ion said. "Elder McGovern trusted her enough to send her with us." He turned to Raine. "We carry a peace treaty from Malkuth for Kimlasca. Since I am the Fon Master, I am the mediator for the request."

"And the Grand Maestro didn't like that," Raine said.

"Grand Maestro Mohs wants nothing but peace," Tear responded. The looks on Jade's and Ion's faces echoed the thoughts Raine had. If the Grand Maestro wanted peace, why would they have to hide a peace treaty from him? He must have another motive. At least the factions were clear enough.

"What's the conflict about between the two factions?" Raine asked.

"Let's just say Mohs believes in a more traditional method of running things." Ion said solemnly. He didn't elaborate, in fact he turned away. The end of that discussion...

Raine turned to Tear. "And you are part of the Grand Maestro faction."

"I'm neutral. I support Ion's wishes as well."

Raine smiled but it was more of indulgence, before asking more. "What about the God-Generals? Are they part of the Grand Maestro faction?"

"Van—" Tear cut herself off and turned her face away. "The Commandant oversees the God-Generals, so I think he likely agrees with Mohs." With the undertones, Raine knew Tear was actually close to the commandant. How close were they?

Luke upstarted. "No way! Master Van isn't trying to start a war, either. He was just looking for Ion because he went missing." Up until now, Luke seemed impartial to the peace treaty, almost bored. His defensiveness for Van struck Raine as odd. Before she could ask about that—

"It's possible Van lost control of the God-Generals," Jade said, drawing an angry look from Tear, "but we don't know for sure. We do know that the God-Generals are after us. It's best of we maintain caution."

After them because of the peace treaty? Why? Raine wondered. No, it wasn't just that. They had something to do with the Sephiroth. Ion was taken to the spirit seals, which had nothing to do with a peace treaty as far as she could tell. They must be working on multiple objectives. They started walking again, and Raine followed, confused. How did all of this fit with the plot to kill Sylvarant's Chosen? The king of Kimlasca certainly had a lot on his plate to worry about!

And not only that, Luke lived trapped in his manor, but he cared a lot about Van, who was part of the Order of Lorelei. What was the connection between them? There was just so much Sheena never mentioned that Raine wondered why she didn't bother asking more about Tethe'alla after she'd heard about it! Then again, nothing in Sylvarant had the note of familiarity with what she knew before her parents left her. Once she suspected another world existed, she wondered if that was where she and Genis were really from. Especially because Sheena's clothes had looked familiar. Perhaps she thought she remembered Tethe'alla well enough not to have questions.

But then Tear turned to her again, her face bearing more confusion than embarrassment now. "You have a lot of questions about the factions. Your tutors had little to teach as well?" It was a simple question, but it felt heavy on Raine's ears. She'd given herself away again. But unlike Glenn or Elder McGovern, Tear didn't seem too upset by it, nor anyone else for that matter.

Was it because of Luke's ignorance? Were they used to answering basic questions? "Books can teach a lot of things," she said, "but you can only withdraw knowledge from the ones you have access to." She could tell from Tear's smile that she understood. Raine was her own tutor.

"I suppose Sheridan has no shortage of books," Tear said.

"I wasn't in Sheridan long enough to read any."

Even in Ion's eyes, Raine noticed an understanding. "If not through books and tutors, the only other way to learn is experience."

She nodded. "I did learn a lot through observation. Paying attention."

"It's interesting that you didn't have any formal education," Jade said. "I'm curious about why that is."

_Too close_. Raine inhaled. _They're too close to the truth_. "I'm afraid my answer is the same. Traveling doesn't encourage much traditional instruction." Especially when humans chased her from one campsite to the next. Most of her education had come from mom and dad and what few books they could carry.

Jade's eyebrow went up and Tear returned an indulgent smile, but Raine wasn't too worried about that. Being an itinerant explained a lot of weird things about her, so long as she didn't let on her origins. As far as she could tell, they still didn't know she was from Sylvarant. Guy, however, still eavesdropped from six feet away, and the interested look in his eyes had returned. She ignored him. Luke, however, went back to leading the party, Mieu at his shoulder and Ion trailing behind them.

Actually, a lot of things started making sense even if she didn't fully understand everything. Ion, part of the Order of Lorelei, was on a private mission with Jade to stop a war on Malkuth's behalf, though they couldn't talk about it because of the hostility between Malkuth and Kimlasca (though she still found the Order a bit paradoxical and antagonistic. At least the factions clarified some of that). For some reason, the Grand Maestro disagreed with stopping the war and possibly the God-Generals, too. Tear and Luke were just being used and Guy came along to protect the Duke's son.

At the very least, Raine felt she could trust them for now. Their intentions were just as peaceful as hers.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: If you started reading this story before this update in 2020, please start over. I have made significant changes since chapter 4 that affect plot coherence. Plus, it might help to refresh yourself on what happened. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

With the sun nearing its peak, Raine reached into her bag for a sandwich packed away from the inn and nibbled on it. Tethe'alla really was beautiful. There was so much green in the plants around her. She'd always known mana was vital for life, but seeing the difference really reminded her of home with mom and dad. Home, before her family became just her and Genis.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," Guy said, startling her. He had fallen back to talk to her, though he still maintained his distance. "I would've thought you'd get tired of traveling after a while."

She sighed and turned away from him. She let her hand drop, forgetting about eating her sandwich now. "Oh, I don't mind traveling." Why on earth did he want to talk to her? She hadn't learned anything new about the Rheairds since last night, so there should be no point in pretending.

"It's a lot easier with the flying machine, though. It brought you all the way over here. I'll bet that was exciting." Yes, the Rheaird. The man had a passion for flying magitech for sure.

"Actually, it was terrifying," she hissed. She couldn't help but look out the corner of her eye at him though. She took another annoyed bite and chewed.

"Er, yeah, I suppose that would be, crashing..." Embarrassed, he scratched his head. "But still, knowing what you know about it. I'd be interested in hearing."

She swallowed her bite. "I told you I don't know anything about it."

"I know," he said.

_He must want an in with Class M_, she decided. After all, he thought she was friends with them. Well, that gave him a motive to be nice to her. She decided to let him think it was so. She finished off her sandwich before he spoke again.

"You don't know how it works, but you've used it. You've worked the controls on it."

"Not all that exciting really," she said. His excitement was irritating. Or was it just his persistence?

"Heh, everyone has their passions. You might've guessed, but mine's fontech." Fontech? They really did rename everything, didn't they? He asked, "What are you passionate about?"

"Traveling."

"Oh, come on, there's more to life than that."

"I've traveled more than I have ever settled." Raine said. He smiled. She might as well humor him. "This place is far more beautiful than home, though. There's definitely a lot more green."

"A lot more green?" Guy asked. "If you don't settle, where is home that's less green than this?" He did have a point now that she realized it. The grass and the trees were about as green and abundant here as anywhere. Her quick glimpse of Tethe'alla before she crashed was proof enough of that.

"A traveler is not necessarily the most traveled," Raine said. "I do not claim to have gone everywhere."

"Maybe not everywhere, but you said you traveled a lot. Does that mean you've traveled across Radessia and very little elsewhere?"

Raine gave a non-committal "hmm" and left it at that.

"For twelve years?" Guy asked, incredulous.

_Damn. I shouldn't have told him that_. Although, Radessia might not be a bad cover story. It was a desert, after all. How thoroughly had it been explored? "I suppose there's no harm in admitting I'm from Radessia." Jade slowed and allowed Luke to overtake him. Raine noticed.

Guy said, "I suppose that would make some sense, but not many people live there."

"All the more reason to study the ruins there, don't you think?" Raine said.

"Aha! You like to study ruins. I suppose I should've guessed that."

"The McGoverns didn't tell you?" Interesting. But she couldn't help but feel a little excited. "The spirit seals are fascinating."

Guy stopped walking to stare at her as if she said something strange. "You said you didn't know much about the flying machine, but you've been to the Meggiora Highlands? Don't you need a flying machine to get there? How long have you been flying the Rheaird?"

"I'm new to it, actually." She said, but his puzzled expression deepened. The panic in her chest began to rise again as everyone else turned around. Even Jade who made feel her examined, exposed, just by looking in her direction.

"Hey! We don't have all day you know!" Luke said from the front.

"Oh, I don't know," Jade said. "I'm a bit curious myself." He walked closer to where Raine and Guy had stopped on the dirt road. Ion followed him. "How did you travel through the Meggiora Highlands without a flying machine?"

Raine stared at them all in turn. What would she say? She was woefully ignorant of Tethe'alla and her ignorance would surely prove that she wasn't actually _from_ Tethe'alla. They would figure out pretty quickly that she's from Sylvarant instead. After a moment, she asked with a sharp voice of disbelief, "so you're saying there's no way to travel the Meggiora Highlands on foot?"

"Well, the terrain is supposedly pretty difficult," Guy said. _Supposedly_? Ha! She smiled, then. Jade was from Malkuth and not likely to have been there. Luke never had because he was trapped in the mansion. Tear and Ion didn't seem to think it so strange for her to have traveled there, which meant they knew nothing about that place either, and she knew Guy would've said something a little more concrete if he had been there. No one could call her bluff.

"Yes, well, it is worse than the Aberria desert, but you can travel it on foot."

"That's… unbelievable…" Guy said.

Jade turned away from her. "It truly is."

"As a traveler, you have to know how to survive anywhere." A lesson she'd learned when she was very young. During the first eleven years of her life, she ran away from enemies with her human father and elven mother. They both taught her how to find food, shelter, and clean water just about anywhere. It served her well after they abandoned her and Genis.

"And what about you, Jade?" Raine asked. "You're a colonel of Malkuth. I imagine you've traveled quite a bit yourself."

He shrugged. "No more or less than any other soldier." Both Guy and Tear found other interests. She supposed she wasn't the only one keeping quiet about where she'd been.

They carried on, spreading their group from Luke's impatience at the front to Raine's aloofness at the back. In between, Ion, Jade, Tear, and Guy separated, leaving far too much space between them to be considered a group. The way Ion traveled just ahead of her, Raine wondered if he knew Tear very well. They were both from the Order after all.

Birds flew overhead, and Raine's eyes followed them to the distance where a pack of animals stood tall staring at her escort. She wondered if they were hostile, but none of her companions seemed to think they were trouble. They kind of reminded Raine of wild deer. Tethe'alla did seem to have healthier wildlife, though. A lot of them behaved more peacefully, perhaps because food was more abundant here. For some reason, even the sky seemed to be a prettier blue, though that could've just been her imagination.

She stopped. There, in the sky, was a strange thing she'd never seen before. It was as if the moon was made of crystal and shaped like a rock. Whatever it was, it was beautiful! There was more than one, though—there were several, like a giant ring around the planet full of these crystalized stones. Sheena never mentioned satellites floating in the sky other than the moon. They had even talked about the moons hanging in the sky sharing the same names as the worlds.

Raine never did figure out where the places were that she remembered seeing as a child. All this time, she'd been looking for familiar ruins, familiar forests, and overall familiar places, but she didn't remember seeing the stones in the sky before. How long had they been there? Was she not from Tethe'alla after all? Or was she from an area where she couldn't see them?

As she glanced around, she noticed a small flock of chirpees flapping towards them. To her, they didn't seem threatening, but as soon as Jade noticed them, he stiffened, and a spear appeared out of nowhere within his hand.

"Heads up!"

Everyone else spotted the birds, drew their weapons, and took formation with Luke and Guy at the front. All, except Ion, who cuddled Mieu and stood behind Jade at the back. Raine took up post next to him and closed her eyes to focus her energy on her staff. She felt around for mana, but was surprised to find no familiar pull that meant mana surrounded her. Again? Tethe'alla should've had plenty of mana for her to use. Why couldn't she find it?

She heard the birds chirping, but she still had time. She felt a flow converge in front of her, and she opened her eyes. Jade crossed his arm and energy was definitely circulating around him with a glyph at his feet. She couldn't quite see the energy, but she felt it. It was a different kind of energy. Mana, but on a different scale, so it wasn't truly mana. It was like... a different frequency of mana. Was that even possible?!

Luke rushed forward and swiped his sword at the closest bird and the battle began. Raine closed her eyes again and concentrated on the pull of energy circulating around Jade. Maybe if she could use some of that…?

But try as she might, she couldn't get the energy to budge. Where was the energy coming from? Why could she only feel the flow around Jade?

The fight didn't last long enough to find out, though.

"There! We got them all." Luke said proudly. When Raine looked again, she saw the birds littered in several pieces across the grass. The energy around Jade vanished. His magic wasn't needed this round. Thank goodness, neither was hers.

But Raine's heart sank. How was she supposed to be useful for the party if she couldn't use this strange mana? Was this what they meant by fonons? A new thought began nagging at her, but she shoved it aside. There was no way that could be true. Tethe'alla used a lot of exspheres, and that might explain why the mana felt so different. She continued feeling around for it, but she couldn't find the mana she had felt whirl around Jade moments ago. Silently, she followed the others as they continued down the path. Thankfully, none of them seemed to notice anything had changed. Tear, true to her duty as a soldier, carried on as normal. Guy struck up a conversation with Luke about his form, and Ion released Mieu who flew back to Luke's shoulder, but then Ion looked back at her. He smiled when she noticed him, but it wasn't a genuine smile.

Weeds and grass grew on the dirt path towards the Fubras River. For the last couple of days, Raine watched a pair of boot prints zigzag across the path, becoming fresher and fresher as time wore on. Whoever was ahead of them walked a leisurely journey of distractions and time-consuming lag. After a while, Ion commented on her concentration.

"Is something wrong, Raine?"

"Oh, no, it's nothing. I was just contemplating these tracks." She pointed and both Tear and Ion approached for a look. Jade, Guy, and Luke stopped as well, but stayed where they were.

"Yeah, I've been wondering about those, too," Luke said.

"That's most likely Anise," Jade said. "By the speed of her gait, I'd say she's losing patience waiting for us."

"Who is Anise?" Raine asked. This was the first she'd heard of her.

"She's my Guardian," Ion said, "We lost her at the Tartarus."

The one who dropped off the letter for Jade with the McGoverns, Raine realized. She hadn't seen her because she was in the study, but she must've just missed her.

"Is it really safe for her to be traveling alone like this?" Guy asked.

Ion nodded. "She'll be fine. It's Anise, after all."

"Yes, Anise is Anise," Jade added.

"I would assume she wouldn't be a Fon Master Guardian if she couldn't take care of herself," Raine said. Still, Guy had a strange expression on his face that she couldn't decipher. Was he worried about something? But then he muttered, "just who is she...?"


	7. Chapter 7

****A/N: If you started reading this story before this update in 2020, please start over. I have made significant changes since chapter 4 that affect plot coherence, especially in this chapter. Plus, it might help to refresh yourself on what happened. :)****

* * *

_**The Fubras River**_

_We reached the Fubras River and Raine ran ahead of us as soon as she saw the stones. She seemed really excited about it, but when we caught up to her, she looked really disappointed. She wouldn't tell us why. Not that I care._

_ The bridge was washed out, so now it looks like we'll have to walk across. The place is full of monsters, and we'll have to get our feet wet... What a pain._

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Guy jumped to the next boulder, nearly flailing his arms for balance, but he didn't land wrong and end up in the water. He did, however, glance back and noticed Raine's tension peaked. She looked like a machine with her stiff limbs and careful consideration in crossing the low-rise river. He usually watched her out of curiosity—the woman flew a fontech device in the air! Not many people could say that!—but this time, she seemed absolutely out of her element. He was still concerned, even setting aside how she treated him since they first met.

Not that he could help her anyway if she fell into the water. Women were scary enough without being angry and soaked.

Thankfully, she crossed the river and relaxed. He turned away before she noticed he was watching her, satisfied that she was fine. On this side of the river, a grassy patch enjoyed plenty of sun. Further along, though, the grass carved paths through more rock pillars and hills. He knew beyond that, the Kaitzur border between Malkuth and Kimlasca divided the South Rugnica plains.

"Luke, a moment." Jade said.

With the last person across, everyone turned to Jade. "What now?" Luke asked impatiently.

"I've been watching you fight. You don't seem to have a full grasp on proper fonon use."

Predictably, Luke protested. "Why should I care about that? Using fonons is what fonists do." Tear stepped away from Luke to hide her frustration. Guy noticed her rubbing her temples with her fingers, a sentiment he secretly shared. Luke had always been averse to learning something new if he didn't see the value in it. That was part of the reason he preferred being Luke's servant over his tutor. He'd seen all the trouble Luke gave his tutors since he lost his memories.

Jade sighed. "Did your Master teach you nothing but brute force?"

Actually, he did. Guy knew that but never questioned it. After all, Van was the Commandant of the Oracle Knights and knew what he was doing. No, it was more than that. Guy trusted him personally.

"Don't make fun of Master Van." Luke said, folding his arms. "He didn't teach me that stuff because I don't need it." At this, even Raine seemed to restrain herself. Her lips thinned and her eyes narrowed, and Guy noticed the tension returned to her fists. Not that he blamed her. She was a professor and here was a student refusing to learn. Ion frowned, too.

"I'd like you to learn anyway so you can fight more efficiently." Jade responded.

"Why bother?"

_So you don't die_, Guy thought, irritated. Even a kid should understand that. "Luke, Jade is a professional. If you want to survive, you should listen to him."

At Guy's interference, Luke uncrossed his arms. "Yeah, a professional killer."

"Indeed I am." Jade shrugged unfazed. "The fon slot seal has already reduced my abilities. I don't want any further dead weight."

Raine approached Luke and Jade. Guy stepped away, noticed Tear was too close from the other direction, and turned again. Apparently, Raine was interested in helping with Luke's lesson, too. He supposed it was the teacher in her. Mieu, floating with the magic of the Sorcerer's Ring, followed Ion towards him. As soon as Ion noticed the little cheagle, he held out his arms for it to settle against his chest.

This did look like a good spot for training. The river cooled the air a little and drowned most other sounds, but the funnel of grass gave them plenty of notice if anything entered the clearing. For several moments they stood there, watching Jade and Luke.

Then Ion turned to Guy.

"So Van was responsible for teaching Luke fighting skills?" He deliberately kept his voice lower to avoid interfering with Jade's lessons, but he suspected there was another reason for not being overheard. After all, who wanted to deal with Luke complaining about being talked about on top of everything else?

"Yeah. I don't know why he never taught him about fonons. I suppose he didn't think there was any need to, as Luke said." He responded to Ion, but his attention was on Luke. He supposed he should've said something to him about fonons before now. It hadn't occurred to him. After all, using fonons was second nature and not something he thought about since he was a child learning how.

"Hm."

"Now the more fonons you gather, the more effective your attacks can be," Jade told Luke. Raine nodded. At Jade's request, Tear walked closer to them, leaving Ion and Guy with Mieu to stand away.

Guy said, "I suppose he's learning now, so that's a good thing." He turned away from the others and looked out at the rocky hills. He thought he saw something in the sky above the hills, but it was too far away to tell what it was. The mountains on the far side of the rocks really showed just how far they had to travel still, though technically they didn't have to cross the mountains to reach Kaitzur. They'd probably be there tomorrow if they kept up a decent pace.

"I'm really worried about Raine," Mieu said, looking up at Ion. "She's very focused on what Jade's saying."

"Huh?" Sure enough, Guy turned and saw her focused attention directed at Jade. Was it more than her being a teacher? She wasn't saying anything for sure. Still... "That's nothing to worried about, Mieu. She's a professor; she probably doesn't have much to add yet."

"There is something strange about her," Ion said softly, but he didn't elaborate. He frowned in serious deep thought.

"I'll admit she's said a lot of weird things. Like visiting spirit seals... She must really believe in them to travel there on foot."

"Do you suppose she really is from Radessia?" Ion asked, "I've never been to the Meggiora Highlands, so I don't know how possible that is. I've heard the terrain is tough, but..."

"She could be. I've never been there either." Guy said.

"But how did she survive out there?" Mieu asked. "She doesn't even know how to use fonons."

She doesn't? Guy's eyes widened, surprised by the news.

"I don't know." Ion said. Guy whipped around to look at him. Ion didn't dispute it. Could it really be true? Guy supposed he would know, or at the very least, the Fon Master wouldn't lie about something like that. "It is a bit strange." But the moment he noticed Guy's expression, he shrank back, lowering his chin. He obviously regretted saying anything.

That would explain her attentiveness to Jade's lesson on fonons. Come to think of it, she stood with Ion behind Jade during their last fight with the birds. Was that because she knew she couldn't use fonons? "Yeah..." He said automatically. "Yeah, that is strange." Especially because she claimed she could. Why?

"Now," Jade said, "the next time we're in battle, I'd like you to develop your skills with fonons a bit more."

Luke nodded, suddenly a little more enthusiastic about using fonons. "I will!" Guy smiled. That was typical of his master. Only excited after the fact.

Raine gave her own subtle nod of affirmation. She definitely seemed a lot more comfortable. But Guy's attention was so focused on Raine, he forgot not to stare. She turned towards him and locked eye contact. The moment she saw him, her grey eyes narrowed. Despite that, she came towards him, and his turning sharply away from her to follow the others didn't help ease the feeling that he was in deep trouble.

"See that, Luke?" Guy approached him and clapped him on the shoulder. "You should find the new skills handy. I'll bet you'll be glad you learned."

"Yeah, yeah," Luke shoved him off, so Guy used the opportunity to check on how much trouble he was in now. Thankfully, Raine seem preoccupied with her thoughts, but then she glanced up and paled. When Guy looked, he saw Arietta and her monsters coming for them.

* * *

_**God Generals Attack**_

_We managed to make our way through the monsters and across the river, but then Arietta from the Oracle Knights' Six God-Generals found us. She said she wanted revenge on us for killing her mother. Apparently she meant the liger queen that we killed in the Cheagle Woods. But really, who would ever think a monster could be a human's parent?_

_ Just when it looked like we'd have to fight, an earthquake hit, and Arietta collapsed. A crack broke open in the ground, and a poison gas called "miasma" or something started flowing out. We couldn't go anywhere with all the miasma, but then Tear started singing a different fonic hymn than the one she'd been using until now, and all of a sudden the miasma disappeared. She said the hymn's power temporarily shields us from the miasma, but it doesn't last long._

_ When we were about to get going, Jade suddenly moved to kill Arietta. It startled me and I stopped him-I mean, how could you kill someone when they're out like that? Raine said I was too soft. What does she know? She's as cold-hearted as Tear._

_ Ion also asked Jade to let her go, so we left her there and headed for Kaitzur._


	8. Chapter 8

****A/N: If you started reading this story before this update in 2020, please start over. I have made significant changes since chapter 4 that affect plot coherence, especially in this chapter. Plus, it might help to refresh yourself on what happened. :)****

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**Chapter 8**

The other side of the mountains yielded more plains. Eventually, they'd come across civilization again, but until they did, they traveled on foot. Yet again, Raine wondered why, but didn't ask. The most obvious answer was that they didn't have any other means of travel. It made for a long, tedious trip, not that she wasn't used to those.

The sun had already begun to decline, though her thoughts remained glued to the miasma and Tear's fonic hymns. She'd never heard of such a thing before, though she felt reassured that Jade asked Tear questions about them. That meant the fonic hymns were not necessarily common knowledge, though it did up another question for her: why did Guy know more about them than Jade did?

The young man certainly had enough knowledge of Malkuth that even Jade asked him about it. To Raine, it made sense if Kimlasca had once owned the lower half of Rugnica. How often had Duke Fabre come this way? But Jade's doubt cast some of her own doubt onto Guy. Jade was smart enough to know this, too.

Not only that, but several days had already gone by since they left Saint Binah and the Fubras River. Guy assured everyone they had reached the Southern Rugnica plains and Kaitzur wasn't far ahead. Jade gave Guy a quip about knowing Malkuth pretty well. His answer piqued Raine's interest, but she couldn't decide what he meant by "looking up vacation spots."

And what was the fon slot seal Jade mentioned he had? It sounded like his magic was severely limited. If that were true, he was far more powerful than she originally realized.

Either way, she didn't believe they'd seen the last of Arietta any more than Jade had. Luke's insistence on leaving her alive proved a side of him that Raine hadn't expected, but reminded her strongly of Lloyd. Perhaps underneath all of the thorns and demands lay a caring heart after all. How long would that heart last once he found out what she was?

"Let's rest here," Jade said suddenly.

Raine surveyed their new camp. It looked like a decent enough spot. A few trees for cover and yet they could look out for threats all across the plains. They set about preparing camp, all except Luke and Ion who rested sitting up with this eyes closed. Tear set down a bag near Raine with the few food ingredients they had.

"Perhaps it's your turn to make the evening meal. Do you mind?"

Raine opened the bag see some of the staples, bread, rice, seasonings, and meat. She looked up at Tear. Genis hadn't let Raine cook for years if he could help it. Even Kratos insisted that she cook just the once. After that, he quit eating when it was her turn, convinced he wasn't actually hungry enough.

"Are you sure?"

Tear smiled. "Of course! I know you'll make something delicious."

Raine nodded and sorted through what they had. There really wasn't much bread, but they had plenty of rice. They also had some fruit and fish. "Hm... no lemons."

"Lemons? Of course not..." Guy said with a note of disgust. "I asked them not to pick up any."

"But we have fish... Lemons and fish actually go really well together."

Guy puckered his face. "No thanks. I'll just take the fish."

"I don't mind fish," Jade said.

"Ugh," Luke grumbled. "Can't we just have some chicken?"

"I can do both," Raine said. She didn't notice the others' alarmed expressions. Tear leaned in towards Jade and Guy, the latter of which leaned away, nearly sweating despite the cooling temperatures.

"Is she serious?" she whispered.

"I'm not sure..." Guy said. "She doesn't seem like the joking type." He pointed a thumb at Jade.

Sure enough, Raine reached for the chicken and fish both. She found some miso in the bag and some strawberries. Guy didn't like lemons, Raine's favorite fruit, but the strawberries should make up for the missing lemons. Fruits are fruits, after all, right? The function should be the same; the only difference was flavor. She dumped the meat and miso into the pan and then wondered when the strawberries should go in. She shrugged and added rice, water, and strawberries anyway.

By the time the meat and rice was cooked, the dish had a strange color and texture, not to mention the smell of miso was a little strong. She tasted some of it. The spicy miso didn't quite marry with the strawberry, which felt like a lump of awkward mush on her tongue. The different meats didn't quite work either, with the fish lost among the miso.

"Hm... well, it's not the worst thing I've made." She called over her shoulder that dinner was ready. Everyone gathered around the pan with their silverware and cups. Luke wrinkled his nose at the fish and took chunks of chicken instead. Jade speared a mushy red piece and held it up.

"What all went into this?" He asked politely.

"Oh, that's likely a strawberry." Raine said. He lowered his fork and coughed.

"This... certainly smells..." Guy inhaled a little and turned away from her, "a little strong. Don't you think you were a bit heavy with the miso?"

"I guess so." Raine sniffed the meal herself. "It really doesn't smell that bad, compared to the last time I made dinner."

"I find that hard to believe," Guy whispered to Luke who about vomited once he took a bite of chicken. He spat it to the grass.

"This is disgusting! Who taught you how to cook?"

"Luke! Don't be so rude," Tear said, though she, too, seemed hesitant to take a bite.

Raine threw a glare across the pan at him. It's not like she had volunteered for this. "Well, you asked me to cook. I did the best I could." She dipped a cup into the pan for her own portion.

"So this is normal?" Luke pondered his empty fork, obviously trying to decide how hungry he actually was.

"Hmm, perhaps it's best if we agree to a retirement from cooking duty," Jade said. "Just to spare our lives."

"Suit yourself," Raine said as she stood up. "But if you go hungry tonight, it's your own fault."

Luke turned to Guy. "Did she just do that on purpose? She's worse than Natalia..." Guy shrugged, seriously unsure.

"No insult to Her Highness, but she is pretty bad. I can't imagine someone being worse." Is she the kind of person who would starve everyone on bad food just so she wouldn't have to cook anymore? But he had an even harder time imagining Raine would be cruel enough to tease them like that. He supposed she really was just that bad of a cook.

They ate in silence, making the best of their meal, except Luke ate some rice Guy made for him. Raine sighed into her cup of unpalatable miso stew. It didn't deserve to be called stew per se, but it also wasn't really the worst thing she ever made. Too bad they wouldn't know that. After a few minutes, Guy wandered over to her shadowed perch where she sat alone. He settled down a few feet away from her, his elbow resting on one upraised knee.

"I'm really sorry about Luke.."

"You have nothing to apologize for." She finished off what she had and held the cup more for reassurance than anything.

"It really wasn't _that_ bad. I've had days where my food didn't turn out well."

Raine smiled at him. "Got used to the flavor, did you?" She could tell from his hesitant smile that it wasn't true. "Thank you for saying so anyway." She watched him, noticing how his eyes wandered to the sky, to the grass, back to camp, and sometimes flashing back to her, but he still stayed so far away from her. "You know, you can sit closer if you like. Despite my subtextual barbs, I don't bite."

He laughed nervously and took to scratching his head. "Nah, it's okay—I just. You know it's—it's nothing personal."

Really. She shook her head and set the cup in the grass. "Why are you so standoffish, yet you always want to talk?"

His head tilted down so he could stare at his wringing hands. Whatever was the problem, he didn't want to admit it. Of course, who would want to admit being prejudiced? People go out of their way to deny it but reveal themselves in their actions all the time. She just couldn't understand though. If he hated her species so much, why was he so willing to continue talking to her? But then he answered her.

"I've never met such a mysterious woman before. I must admit, between the past you're hiding and the Rheaird, you've got me curious." Ah, his curiosity is just that strong. _Well, that's something I suppose._ It's better than the reaction she usually got from humans. "I mean... from what I heard of the flying machines, the prototype was called the Albiore."

"Albiore?" _Why does everything have a different name_? She wondered, frustrated. "That's not what Sheena called it."

"Who's that?"

Raine sighed, sinking into her knees. "A friend."

"Well, she's not part of Class M, she probably doesn't know what they're really called."

She shifted so he couldn't see her looking away. She was so confused. He seemed to know a lot about Class M and Sheridan, but he never heard of Sheena. Why not? What was really going on here? He moved, shuffling to sit on her other side. "I'm sorry if I upset you," he said. She closed her eyes. "I've just never met anyone who actually got to fly with the hover drive."

"You're still interested in that, huh?"

"Of course!" There it was again, his excitement animated his voice. Genis and Lloyd would've called it his mania. She buried her face in her knees to hide her smile. Oh, how she missed them. "Fon machine buffs follow Class I and Class M closely, so any major developments travel quickly. I just didn't know they finished a prototype that could actually fly."

Raine smiled at him. _You know what? That doesn't matter_. He might be prejudiced against half-elves, but his curiosity was stronger than that. For once, here was a human who could set aside his prejudices, at least long enough to share an interest. "Your eyes light up so much when you talk about fon machines. It must be a weakness of yours."

He raised his head, surprised. "You're not mad anymore?"

She shrugged. "If I never forgave, I'd never be happy again." Guy smiled, too.

"Oh, I definitely get that. But let's not talk about that." He faced her, full body and sitting with his legs folded beneath him. "Actually... can I ask you about something?" Oh crap. Raine checked the cup again. Was there anything left in it after all? No, nothing to stuff her mouth with this time. She let the cup tip over in the grass.

"Very well."

Now that he was given permission, though, he looked away. What, now he didn't want to ask? Or did he not know how? He did seem reluctant and he ended up shaking his head. "You know, it's nothing important. I just..." then his face lit up and he looked at her. "What is your brother like?"

She raised a skeptical eyebrow, but somehow she felt much better about this question than the one he didn't want to ask. "Actually, he's brilliant. A little obnoxious sometimes, but he has a good heart."

"Sounds a bit like Luke."

Raine smiled, genuine this time. "About that... How does Duke Fabre raise such a spoiled child? Didn't he discipline him?"

Guy didn't answer right away, but looked down at her cup in the grass and frowned. "Duke Fabre didn't have much to do with him since he returned from his kidnapping."

Understandable, she supposed. A child that needed to learn everything all over again, he must have been embarrassed by him. "I'll bet that was hard for everyone."

"You've mentioned Genis and Lloyd," he said suddenly, "do you have any other students? Or friends? It can't just be you three."

She laughed. "Why not? We travel. It's not like we can collect friends as we go."

"Why not? Isn't that how you make friends?" He gestured to the others back at camp.

"Oh, so you're privately cordial with that Malkuth soldier over there? I thought he was just tolerating you."

Guy laughed. "Maybe so. What about you? You're not going to disappear forever when you come to Baticul, are you?"

_Maybe..._ Raine stood up her cup again and followed its rim with her finger. Really, dinner wasn't that bad. Maybe she should get more before he asked too many questions. "What's the matter? Afraid you'll lose your contact with Class M?"

"Nah, I can go to Sheridan if I want to and talk to them directly."

Then why did he want to talk with her? Puzzled, Raine sank into thought.

"So it seriously was just you, Genis, and Lloyd?"

"Hm? No, we had Colette, too. She was Lloyd's friend. And a mercenary who traveled with us for a while but..." she paused, now caught in the memories of the Tower of Salvation. Seeing wings materialize from the man's back was startling and to find out he was part of Cruxis...

"But...?"

She cleared her throat and straightened. "Well, he went his separate ways. And Sheena. We also had her."

"Ah, the friend."

She bit her lip. "She's just a woman we ran into. She's the one who knew about the flying machines."

He could tell there was more to the story, but when she didn't continue, he let it go. "So, three students, two women, and a mercenary," Guy said. "Interesting group to travel with. Kind of like us."

_Wait until you find out she was an assassin and that Kratos betrayed us. _She flashed a fake smile as he watched her, but she didn't acknowledge anything else. She stared ahead at the plains, not quite relaxed. When he followed her gaze, he didn't see anything to worry about. A couple of owls crossed the sky and some grass waved, that was it. "Something on your mind?"

She shook her head, but of course, that was a lie. Kratos was supposed to protect the Chosen, Colette, and he certainly had, though not for the reasons she thought. She couldn't help but wonder who in this group would betray her like he had. That depended mostly on their reaction to finding out she was a half-elf. The more that they traveled, the more she wondered if Guy and Jade really knew because they certainly didn't treat her any differently than they treated Tear or Ion. They didn't seem disgusted with her; in fact, Guy trying to converse with her, even though he still kept his distance. He sat several feet from her, but he still seemed to enjoy talking with her. Would that change if she confirmed she was a half-elf?

"So what are the Highlands like?"

_Time's up._ "Arid." Raine stood and wandered back to camp. How would Jade react to her being a half-elf? He seemed to be the most powerful person in the group, despite Ion's status.

"Okay, we're done talking," he quipped.

That night, her paranoia made it hard to sleep.

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**A/N:** Wow, so long time since the last update. I'm so sorry about that, but what happened is that I wrote the chapter for Kaitzur and Choral Castle and realized I can't make it work the way I wanted to. But I intentionally reworked the plot and finally came to terms with the fact that I can't avoid a conversation with Van and the party. So, I reworked that scene until I finally figured out a plan that worked. Now, I am cleaning up that chapter and the update should happen in January 2021. Yes, it really did take me this long to work out all of the plot problems. :) Thank you so much for your patience!


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